The present invention relates to electrical connectors and particularly to electrical connectors for connecting ribbon conductors to either wire conductors or other ribbon cable conductors.
Various press-fit type structure and methods of interconnecting electrical circuit components and conductors which use multiple connector structures are known and function generally to eliminate the need for using hard wire, e.g., solder, connections. One type of connector includes a two-piece structure. One piece is a member over which a ribbon conductor having exposed conductors at one end is placed, and the other is a housing for holding a series of conductors and a corresponding series of electrical contacts. One way to maintain electrical and mechanical connection in such a system is to incorporate a force generating feature in one of the structures which operates to press and hold the electrical contacts against each other when the two structures are engaged. However, in such systems, the force-generating feature is subject to deterioration over time and adds a degree of complexity and expense to the system.
In another press-fit type structure of interconnecting electrical circuit components or conductors, two ribbon conductors are connected to a third flexible or rigid circuit board. In such systems, the circuit components or conductors are sandwiched by a series of connecting structures. In these systems, the connector structures are of a size that accommodates the mounting of circuit components on the circuit board. An undesirable characteristic of known electrical connectors of this type is that they require separate fastening means such as screws. Therefore, although these electrical connectors can connect three separate electrical components or conductors, the user must utilize tools to connect/disconnect the system. In addition, these systems are limited in their application because they can only connect flat electrical conductors, i.e., they cannot connect electrical connectors that have electrical components mounted thereon.
Another press-fit type connector includes a first structure containing a means for holding a ribbon cable, and a second structure, such as a wire harness, containing a means for mounting wire conductors. In such a system, the two structures can be snapped together to bring the conductors of each component into contact to maintain an electrical connection. These systems have separate connecting means in the wire harness to provide the mechanical connection between the wire harness and the ribbon cable mounting structure. The connecting means in such systems often contains mechanisms which are complicated, expensive to manufacture and can be easily destroyed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,488 overcomes some of these mechanical limitations by providing a mounting system which connects an electrical component to a flat flexible circuit. The flexible circuit is attached to a substrate and contains apertures which align with apertures in the substrate. When the connecting pins of an electrical component pass through these apertures, an electrical and mechanical connection is maintained. However, this system is limited in its application. Specifically, it does not couple the conductors of a ribbon cable to corresponding conductors of a wire harness. As a result, there exists a need for adaptable systems for connecting a variety of ribbon-type conductors to wire conductors which minimize the complexity of the connecting structures while still maintaining the integrity of the mechanical and electrical connection of the different style conductors.